The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-09-08
HOW WE ARE SWINDLED.
The Experience of "AnOther Man" as TOlG
by eA-COunty Judge.

We were seated on the deck of an
up-river steamer making the trip from
ST. Louis to st. Paul and had been
talking about swindlers and frauds.
1.-The first time was ever taken in,"
said my companion, Judge johnson,
retired country Judge. ''was when /
was 16 years old, and it does seem that
l have not cut my wisdom teeth yet.
Every stray swindler who comes along
manages to rope me in and l never
learn to keep clear of him."
:'Sixteen was pretty early to make
his acquaintance was it notP How did
lie manage to skin youP And how
deepP" / asked.
cit was not very much, only a
quarter, but the way in which it was
done is worth relating. The strange
part of it was that the old reliable
Youths Companion of Boston was the
means of bleeding many innocents of
their 25 cents. When l was about 16 l
was regular subscriber to that paper,
and would as soon have expected my
own father to cheat me as to mistrust
anything in that paper. One week
there appeared an advertisement some
thing like this, as near as l can re-
member:
w IN EVERY TOWN
-- for information.
81 wrote, and in reply received
circular to the effect that a company
was compiling material for a most
gigantic history of the United States.
Each State was to be done in one
volume at the uniform price of So.
The company wished a correspondent
in each township, and as remuneration
would send the writer copy of the
history of his own State-as soon as it
was published. If they needed his
services after he had written up his
own township they would let him
know and pay him in cash or with
more books. In conclusion. the circu-
lar demanded quarter of dollar as
a guarantee of good faith and to pay
for list of questions which they de-
sired answered, | sent the quarter. !"
"And never heard from it againP"
'.No. | did hear from it, for by re-
turn mail | received a second circular
containing about thirty questions con-
| cerning the topography and history of
the township in which lived"
| did you answer them?'
| Eyes. 1t amuses me yet when /
think of the serious way in which |
worked them up. In fact, if ! should
meet the publisher l would be willing
| to give him another quarter as an ac-
acknowledgement of the trick he played
on me and of my own gullibility. And
still am afraid that he did not make
very much out of his game. There
were two letters to each victim, with a
| postage of six cents, two envelopes,
and two printed circulars. His profit
gould not have been more than Is
cents OF course / never heard of the
history again"
| Whether or not | had ever been
duped, even to the small amount of a
quarter, did not propose to confess,
but just to keep the conversation up
and to see if my companions had any
more "reminiscences | asked if he had
ever stumbled up against the ''por-
trait copying" swindle. He confessed
| that he never had and asked ME what
it was.
IF you ever read the personal
columns of the daily papers you must
have come across the ads. / read
them every day. Not for information,
but for amusement. There are some
queer things to be found in those col
| umns."
81 know it," he replied, senten-
tiously.
| .Within the last year or so several
enterprising Eastern gentlemen have
advertised for ARTISTS" the work,
copyiu. portraits: the advantages,
work at home and no canvassing; the
pay. princely. ! spotted the scheme
as a swindle and thought no more
about it; but one of my friends was
| taken in."
''His name, please?
Never mind his name. In reply to
letter of inquiry he received circu.
lar asking for 81 for apparatus. The
~ was sent and the material for copy
ing received. My friend was some
/ thing of an artist, but to save him he
could not make decent picture with
the material sent to him. He even
| called in the assistance of a profess
sional artist. The latter told him that
it was impossible to turn out out any
thing but "blotches. So he gave it
up. He had the curiosity, however,
to send his caricatures to the Eastern
gentleman, who promptly replied that
they showed talent, but were not quite
| uP " LuC IcQuiI Su SGdHldIu, anu uT2oU
the artist to pefsevere.
'It's queer how people are taken in, "
said my companion, meaningly, but l
passed over his remark in silence.
do you know" he said after few
minutes, ''that the literary dodge is
almost taking the place of the counter
felt swindle. OF course there is plenty
of the latter going on, but not SO
1 Il,a .araIr 60 n,.1ry r Il.
as though the 'sharpers' were taking
advantage of the literary craze which
has captured the feehle-minded of the
country. Did you ever have any ex-
perience with the cheap book gameP'
what do you mean? -and-?"
mo, no. They are legitimate pub
fishers. | see you never have and will
give you a pointer. 1t is neat
swindle, and one which rarely gets its
perpetrator into trouble. A book is
hastily compiled from other works
generally consists of some very valu-
able practical hints for farmers, me-
chanics, and others of the working
class. OF course it ought to have
some good in it, for all the author mas
to do is to steal his copy from some
standard works. Then a catchy title
is secured, such as The Farmers
Handbook knowledge for the Mass
es,' or How to Keep Well Then the
services of a cheap printing office are
secured and cheap edition printed
on poor paper and with broken type
The expense is very light. A few
copies are gotten up in good shape for
eanyassing, The agent visits a small
village and seeks out the leading man
of the place, generally retired poli-
tician or Squire who thinks much of
his title. A few notices are artfuIly
inserted in the local paper, and the
public is soon well acquainted with
the gentlemanly canvGsser. You know
very little is needed to interest quiet
country place, where sensations are
| few and far between. At length the
Judge is induced to take the agency
for the work. His name and intiu-
ence,' you know, will be worth so
much that special terms can be given
him. The books are to be sent him;
4